Buff



United States Patent O `S'UFF Ruben 0. Peterson, University Heights, Ohio, assignor to The Osborn Manufacturing Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application September 6, 1952, Serial No. 308,242, now Patent No. 2,755,608, dated July 24, 1956., Divided and this application June 18, 1955, Serial No. 591,964

6 Claims. '(Cl. Sil-193.57)

This invention relates as indicated to a novel buff, and this application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 308,242, led September 6, 1952, now .Patent No. 2,755,608, dated July 24, 1956*, in .turn -a continuation-in-,part of Aapplication Serial No. 173,465, lfiled July 12, 1950, now Patent No. 2,704,916, dated March 29, 1955. More particularly, this application is Iconcer-ned with rotary buffs having .generally radially extending buliing finger-s which may have abrasive material thereon in certain regions as more fully explained below.

Rotary buffs are employed in a Wide variety of .surface finishing operations and maybe required either to remove a considerable amount of material from the work surface being acted upon, or to refine the finish, or to obtain a high reflectivity or gloss on such surface. Perhaps the best known form of bufr" merely comprises an assemblage of textile fabric discs secured together in side-by-side relationship and provided with an appropriate hub or like supporting means .for mounting on an arbor. Standard abrasive and polishing materials such as emery, Carborundum and vrouge may be applied to the rotating buff in order that the latter may in turn apply the same to the surface to be conditioned. Certain greases, waxes, oils, glue and other adhesives may be incorporated with 'the abrasive or polishing material in order that the latter may be at least temporarily adhered to the working surface of the buff and not immediately thrown olf and dispersed. This arrangement, of course, makes for somewhat messy Working conditions and the work-piece must frequently be subsequently treated with a solvent or other cleansing agent to remove such wax, grease or oil therefrom. Inasmuch as the abrasive material is thus ordinarily intermittently applied to the rotating buit or to the work-piece, it is obvious that the surface conditioning characteristics of the latter can be far from uniform and the work-piece or workpieces therefore non-uniformly treated.

Merely to form the buff of fabric discs having abrasive adhered to one or both sides thereof has not proven a satisfactory solution for the reason, among others, that a very 'rigid wheel results which does not have the resili- It is this yielding action which permits a buit to be forced against a work-piece without danger to the 'latter or to the buff but at the same time obtaining desired penetration into hollows and conformance to iregular contours of the article being buifed.

In most buffs now currently employed in industry, an undesirably large proportion of the buff material is contained in that portion of the buff adjacent theinner periphery of the same. Indeed, in an attempt to obtain a desirable density of buff material at the outer working periphery of the buff, it is common practice to compact such buff material to the extent possible about the inner periphery of the latter. A's 'a result, a large proportion of the relatively expensive buff material may be concentrated adjacent the inner periphery where it will never serve a useful purpose and will be entirely Wasted, while at the same time effectively preventing ventilation of the buff ICC in use and so ensuring overheating of the same. Overheating may become a very serious problem and result in charring of the fabric, the .latter sometimes actually catching fire. These problems are, of course, further exaggerated when abrasive coated fabric is utilized, such abrasive bo'th adding to the bulk of the buff material and also tending to generate additional heat through 'frictional interaction of adjacent layers of fabric material.

It is accordingly a principalobject of my invention to provide a novel b'uifconstruction utilizing fabric having abrasive 'r'rla'terial adhered thereto but which will retain substantially all of the normally desired characteristics of the usual untreated bult. l

I t is afurtl'ler object 'to vprovide an abrasive buff which will be flexible and 'adapted vto conform to 'the contours off'a `work-"piece being 'acted upon. v l

Still "another vobject is to provide a buff in which a very 'large rproportion of the material, both fabric and abrasive, will Y be concentrated adjacent the outer Aperiphery of the buff 'rather than adjacent the inner periphery of the same.

A further object is to provide a novel bnn I'and method of assembling the 'same whereby such buff may be manufactured in a series of substantially continuous operations suitable for performance on brush-making machines already Well known in the art. j Still a further object is .to provide la rotary hurling tool having a hurling 'ringer assembly and 'mounting means therefor 'adapted to cooperate forcibly to draw a strong current of cooling air vtlnougl-i the inner 'portion of the tool to'preve'nt overheating in use. j

Other objects of rn'y invention will appear `as 'the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, Said invention then lcomprises the features hereinafter fully `described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description Aand Athe annexed drawing setting for-th in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways 'in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawing:

Fig. l shows pleated builing lingers of a typ-e similar to that disclosed in my Patent No. 2,658,315 but secured to a continuous `flexible central `strip to facilitate subsequent assembly with a brush back;

Fig. 2 is a transverse view 'taken on the line 2-2 on Fig. 1';

Fig. 3 lis a semi-diagrammatic illustration of a preferred method of assembling such lingers of 'the Fig. 1 type into 'the nished article such as buff strip; v

Fig. 4 is 'a transverse section through completed buff strip formed by the Fig. 3 process; and

Fig. 5 shows a completed rotary buff having radially outwardly Veiitendin'g' bu'in'g fingers. I

As 'taught in my aforesaid Patent No. 2,658,315, discs of fabric sheet material may be folded or pleated with the center of 'the disc 'forming the narrow pointed end of the resultant generally 'tubular or conical buing fingers 1. Such fingers may be formed in pairs 'as `'taught in 'my aforesaid Patent 2,658,315 and shown in Figs. 1-3 inclusive of the present application, the centers of the discs forming such narrow pointed ends being joined together at Such pairs may 'then be stitched or otherwise vsecured, adjacent 'such points of joining of th'e inner ends of the lingers, to continuous 'fabric strips 3 and 4 as by stitching 5 and 6, for example. In this manner, a 'con'- tinuous chain of pleated buing fingers may be provided for subsequent assembly into fan elongated channel 'form sheet .metal back in the manner generally described yin my prior Patent 2,303,386 and diagram'rnatieally illustrated in Fig. 3 'of this application.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 3 of the drawing, the assembled fabric strips 3 and 4 are placed upon an elongated flat sheet metal strip 7 having rows of upstanding teeth 3 and 9 punched uptherefrom, the pairs of conical tubular pleated bulling lingers 1 extending transversely intermediate such teeth. A retaining element such as wire 10 is placed over the fabric strips along the longitudinal center line of the same. As the assembly is continuously advanced to the right as shown in Fig. 3, the sheet metal backing strip 7 is progressively shaped to channel form, thereby bringing the oppositely extending pleated bufling fingers gradually into parallel side-by-side relationship at 11 and as shown in transverse section in Fig. 4. The teeth 8 and 9 project inwardly from the resultant sheet metal channel sides 12 and 13 over the retaining wire 10 to secure the latter lirmly in place. It will be appreciated that by thus securing the buliing lingers to the central fabric strip or strips, such lingers may be conveniently handled and automatically delivered onto the continuously traveling sheet metal backing strip 7 in properly oriented spaced relationship. When the linished brush strip is subsequently circularized to form an annular or helical rotary buff, such fabric strip also serves in conjunction with teeth 8 and 9 to retain the inner ends of the bulling lingers in desired spaced relation as generally shown in Fig, 5.

Instead of securing the buliing linger assembly of Fig. l Within a continuous sheet metal channel produced in the manner taught in my Patent No. 2,303,386 as above described, a length of assembled buliing lingers may be circularized and secured within an annular channel form back 14 as taught in Patent No. 2,288,337 to W. S. Whittle. It will, of course, be understood that such methods of assembling my novel buff material into appropriate backs or other supporting means are given merely by way of illustration of the adaptability of such material for handling in a manner generally similar to that in which conventional stranded brush material may be handled despite the bulk and irregular contours of such bulling lingers.

In one embodiment of my invention, granular abrasive materials such as emery or Carborundum, for example, may be adhered to certain areas of the buff fabric so that the finished pleated linger 1 will have an abrasive portion in a region 15 substantially removed from the narrow pointed inner end portion and extending to the outer working end of the linger. The wider outer end portion of the linger 1 will thus be made appreciably thicker than the pointed inner end portion and thereby afford a somewhat more solid outer working periphery to the tool of Fig. 5 where the fingers, of course, radiate outwardly from the central support or hub.

It is desirable that when areas of abrasive are adhered to such fabric to form the abrasive region, such areas be located in a manner to avoid opposing one such area to another when the fabric is folded or pleated to form the fingers 1. Such areas may desirably be in the form of relatively narrow abrasive stripes 16 spaced from one another and separated by uncoated fabric so that the abrasive of one stripe does not directly oppose the abrasive of an adjacent stripe. This may ordinarily be arranged by printing the abrasive areas in the form of spaced radial stripes on the fabric discs from which the lingers are formed, such discs being folded intermediate such relatively stilfened abrasive areas to form the pleats.

If desired, the abrasive stripes may be on both sides of the fabric discs from which thetubular lingers are formed but it will often be preferred to provide such stripes only on the surface of the disc forming the interior of the finger so that the abrasive areas or regions are not laterally exposed in the finished buff. Inasmuch as the abrasive regions will desirably be spaced appreciably from the inner ends of the bulfing lingers where these are attached to the continuous fabric stripv and secured within the brush back, such relatively narrow inner end portions of the ngers will be more liexible and also capable of yielding inwardly by buckling slightly under pressure as when the face of the buliing tool is pressed forcibly against the work. Since the bulk of the fabric as well as of the abrasive will be located in the wider outer end portion of the nger, such lingers lend them selves very advantageously to the construction of rotary buliing tools wherein the narrow inner ends are secured to a central hub or support and the lingers extend generally radially therefrom. Such relatively thick outer end portions may thus form a relatively dense buff face even when the inner ends are spaced apart somewhat about the periphery of the hub or support to afford ventilating passages 17 therebetween. The sides of the sheet metal channel back 14 may desirably be indented as at 18 to provide a plurality of radially extending grooves which will facilitate outward flow of Ventilating air to the passages 17 between the inner end portions of the buliing lingers.

In view of the pleated formation of the butling fingers, it will be apparent that no streaking of the Work will result when contacted with the rotating bufling tool, in contrast to the streaking which often occurs when employing the usual form of buff comprising a compacted assembly of parallel layers of fabric. Such tubular lingers are furthermore very effective in retaining any abrasive or additional abrasive which may be supplied thereto during the buing operation.

The Ventilating effect may be considerably enhanced by employment of suitable adapters for mounting the circularized bull elements in the general manner disclosed, for example, in my prior Patents Nos. 2,316,185, 2,320,- 384 and 2,409,309. Thus, for example, an adapter comprising an annular sheet metal disc 19 having a central inner opening 2.0 adapted to be mounted upon an appropriate arbor or shaft is provided with radially outwardly extending arms such as 2l and 22 alternately oppositely axially offset to embrace opposite sides of one or more of my new annular buff sections. Passages for the circulation of air are accordingly left between the outer peripheries of such discs 19 and the inner peripheries of the circularized channelform sheet metal backs 14 within which the bul-ling lingers ll are retained.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided a special novel form of buliing tool combining a number of highly desirable characteristics. The tubular pleated builing lingers are connected to the inner flexible strip which is then secured within the channelform brush back so that such fingers extend side by side. Not only are the lingers particularly effective in the retention of abrasive supplied thereto, but abrasive stripes may desirably preliminarily be bonded thereto intermediate the folds forming the pleats.

Typical examples of suitable granular abrasives for use in accordance with my invention include:

Aluminum oxide (Alundum, Aloxite, corundum) Silicon carbide (Carborundum) Chrome oxide Natural abrasives (e. g. pumice, emery) Mixtures of the above The aluminum oxides are particularly suitable Where good abrasive action combined with the production of a relatively good linish is desired.

The silicon carbides make hard and sharp abrasives for maximum cutting action.

Chrome oxide is employed to give a finish on stainless steel and similar materials.

While many types of adhesives may be employed to secure the abrasive to the buff fabric, depending on the particular application, the following lmay be mentioned: animal glues, glycerol phthallate resins such as Dulux, Bakelite resins, cellulose base resins, casein glue, and even waxes such as cerotic acid waxand greases such as :nutten fallow. Ordinarily adhesives are preferred which have relatively little stilfe'niig leffect on the fabric and do not tend to smear the work, or at least may be readily removed from such Work. The adhesive should not be too brittle but should stand up under impact in use. When synthetic plastic sheet material is employed as the buil:` fabric, the abrasive may be adhered by pressing into the plastic surface, with application of heat or solvent where appropriate to bond the abrasive grains thereto.

Adesive will desirably be printed on the fabric by the Welleknown roller process and the abrasive then dusted thereon. In this manner, the abrasive will be secured only to the precise areas desired and all excess is readily blown away. If desired, however, the abrasive and adhesive can be applied together.

Among abrasive materials suitable for different operations are: aluminum oxides such as Alundum and Aloxite, silicon carbide (Carborundum), precipitated aluminum oxide, emery, rouge, pumice, Tripoli, sharp sand, bauxite, and diatomaceous earth. Fabric having abrasive areas may also be provided by interweaving abrasive strands which may be of the type taught in Radford Patent No. 2,328,998, for example.

Since the abrasive stripes preferably do not extend radially inwardly to the inner periphery of my new rotary buffs, not only do I obtain improved ventilation with proper density at the working surface (despite radial spreading) but also the buff fingers are attached by relatively flexible means to the back or the like. The resultant rotary surface-conditioning tool preserves the desirable attributes of the buff, with a much enhanced abrasive action.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided a type of abrasive buff construction which is both flexible and cool in operation and which is particularly adapted for machine manufacture. In other words, the buff material may be preassembled in a manner facilitating its incorporation within a metal channelform back, for example, in the general manner described in my prior Patent No. 2,303,386. The greater part of both the buff fabric and abrasive is concentrated toward the outer periphery of the bufiing tool where it will be of use, and also providing the desired density of material in this region. The various radially extending folds and pleats do not expose cut fabric edges so that raveling and premature dissolution of the buff fabric is substantially eliminated.

While he buff strip of my invention may commonly be circularized to form a helix or single turn annulus with the buff material extending generally radially therefrom, straight lengths of my new buff strip may also be employed arranged parallel to the arbor on which they are supported or in long lead helical form. Buffs and brushes of this general conformation are, of course, already known in the art. Likewise, a length of buff strip may be circularized with the buff material extending in a generally axial direction rather than radially to form a cup-shaped buing tool. This general type of construction is also well known.

The term fabric as employed herein and in the claims is intended to include any suitable sheet material whether textile or imperforate plastic sheet, for example. Thus, cotton cloth, nylon (polyamide resins), Pliofilm (rubber hydrochloride), or certain types of paper sheet material are entirely suitable for use in embodiments of my invention for certain purposes, and other natural or manufactured fiber materials may likewise be employed.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of such be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

l. A rotary buff comprising a circularized metal channelfbin back opening radially outwardly, and buff mater'ial 'retained therein and extending generally therefrom comprising pairs of fabric discs j-oined at their centers and separatedotherw'i'se to form pairs of generally conical 'tubular pleated fingers, said pairs of fingers being stitched to a continuous fabric strip in the regions of their joining to interconnect said pairs of fingers, stripes of abrasive material adhered to said buff material intermediate the lines of folding of such pleats only, and an elongated retaining member within said channelform back overlying such strip and such pairs of fingers in their region of joining to secure the same in said back with said fingers extending generally radially therefrom in side-by-side relationship.

2. A lrotary buff comprising a circularized metal channelf-orrr' back opening radially outwardly, and buff material retained therein and extending generally radially therefrom comprising pairs of fabric discs joined at their centers and separated otherwise to form pairs of generally conical tubular pleated fingers, said pairs of fingers being secured to a continuous strip of flexible sheet material in the regions of their joining to interconnect said pairs of fingers, such strip being longitudinally disposed within said channelform back with the fingers of each pair extending therefrom in sideby-side relationship, stripes of abrasive material adhered to said buff material intermediate the lines of folding of such pleats only, and an elongated retaining member Within said channelform back overlying such strip and such pairs of fingers in their region of joining to secure the same in said back.

3. A bufling element comprising a support and buff material secured thereto, said buff material comprising pairs of generally tubular fabric fingers joined together at their inner ends, stripes of abrasive material on said tubular fabric fingers extending longitudinally thereof, means secured to and interconnecting said pairs of lingers in their regions of joining to form a continuous series, and means engaging said interconnecting means securing said fingers to said support.

4. The method of producing an abrasive buff element which comprises joining pairs of discs of flexible buff fabric together in their center regions, adhering generally radially extending stripes yof abrasive material to such discs, separating such discs except where thus joined together to form oppositely extending generally conical pleated fingers, such fabric being folded along lines intermediate such abrasive stripes to form such pleats, securing such pairs of fingers to a strip of flexible sheet material in the regions of their joining to interconnect such pairs of fingers in a continuous series, placing such interconnected pairs of fingers transversely of a metal strip with such strip of flexible sheet material extending longitudinally thereof, placing an elongated retaining member thereon longitudinally of such strips, and shaping such metal strip to channel form With such strip of flexible sheet material secured therein beneath such retaining member.

5. The method of producing a buff element which comprises joining sheets of buff material together in their center regions, separating such sheets except where thus joined together to form oppositely extending generally conical pleated fingers, securing such pairs of fingers t0 a strip of flexible sheet material in the regions of their joining to interconnect such pairs of fingers in a continuous series, placing such interconnected pairs of fingers transversely of a metal strip with such strip of flexible sheet material extending longitudinally thereof, placing an elongated retaining member thereon longitudinally of such strips, and shaping such metal strip to channel form with such strip of flexible sheet material secured therein beneath such retaining member.

6. The method of producing a buff element which comprises joining sheets of buff material together in their center regions, separating such sheets except where thus joined together to form oppositely extending generally conical pleated ngers, interconnecting such pairs of fingers in the regions of their joining to form a continuous chain of pairs of oppositely extending fingers, and securing such chain beneath an elongated retaining member in a channelform back with such fingers of each pair extending in side-by-side relationship therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

